CHICAGO — (BUSINESS WIRE) — July 3, 2013 —
The
SIGGRAPH
Business Symposium offers attendees an intense, productive day with
this yearâ€™s focus on disruption and innovation in the content creation
industries namely games and films. Unlike any other conference, SIGGRAPH
provides a unique forum where leaders from film, games, and broadcast
cross paths and share ideas with scientists, academics, and world-class
researchers. It is geared towards higher level executives and studio
heads.

"There has never been a more urgent time for industry leaders to unite
in order to discuss solutions for the dire straits our industries and
colleagues are facing," says Evan Hirsch, SIGGRAPH 2013 Business
Symposium Chair and Executive Creative Director, Engine, Co. 4." We must
deliver productive change as the industries as we know them are in a
precarious situation. I am thrilled that we continue to add speakers to
the agenda that will inspire our attendees and stimulate conversation
amongst them. For instance, the new addition of Academy Award winner
Richard Chuang of Cloupic along with Marc Bolas, a noted researcher and
pioneer from the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, adds even more
depth to what already is a canâ€™t miss event for industry executives,
leaders, and visionaries.â€ť

The Business Symposium is a day of dialogues, inspiration and networking
for studio leaders and executives in the production and creative
communities, investment bankers, lawyers, and various government
representatives who want to move beyond the constant disruption
happening throughout computer graphic industries.

The following are just some of the highlights of a very packed day of
sessions, panels, and talks:

Despite the major contractions in our traditional markets, competition
from foreign markets, and the effects of tax credits that rarely
directly benefit content creators, entertainment still lives by the
mantra "Content is King." The studios may be releasing fewer tent poles
and AAA games but there have never been more platforms, venues, and
formats hungry for high-quality, compelling content. Three panelists
offer their insights on how they will connect with audiences that are
enthusiastic yet diverse in how they consume content, how they will
monetize it, and where opportunities lie for linear and interactive
content creators.

In an environment where creative work is more and more often produced
outside the US and acquired for global distribution, business executives
need to know the cultural expectations that IP creators bring to the
table. How much can business realities enter into creative
decision-making, what expectations will creators have for how they will
be treated by foreign businesses, and other issues have usually been
considered from the perspective of US content going overseas. This
session provides valuable insight into the realities that US-based
companies face in acquiring content and working with developers, and
informs those creative developers by providing some perspectives that
their US-based partners will likely hold.

Over the last 15 years, it is the rare SIGGRAPH attendee who has not
been involved in creating content with military themes. Throughout
production, the terminology of war and combat is used constantly, and as
leaders we constantly talk about aligning objectives, situational
awareness, dealing with ambiguity, and adapting to unpredictable
conditions. In reality, when things go wrong, as significant as our
losses may be, they are limited to shots, sales, and money.

Captain Thomas Chaby, an active-duty US Navy SEAL officer, talks about
the reality of developing and training the very best of our militaryâ€™s
special operators to be successful in situations where the environments
are all but guaranteed to be dynamic and disrupted, and the deadly
serious implications of failure. While failures in our production
environments may not result in the consequences faced by our military
special operators, we can draw on lessons from them on how to lead
successfully in fast-moving, hyper-dynamic conditions with limited
predictability.

Complex CG behaviors and effects such as crowds, water, fire, and cloth
have found their way into most software packages, leading companies of
all sizes to the belief that CG research is the domain of universities.
This panel explores the notion that if you outsource innovation and rely
on the same software as your competition, you are guaranteeing that you
will compete on little more than price and date. Four panelists discuss
how companies large and very small use research and innovation as a key
part of their strategy for success and, ultimately, longevity.